15 Apr Some People Change Your Life Forever

This week’s FridayFlix pick, Carol, is the groundbreaking love story that had critics raving during this year’s awards season. Inspired by the book, “The Price of Salt” by Patricia Highsmith, Carol follows two women in love in the early 1950s, a time where this was typically unheard of. Carol (Cate Blanchett), the beautifully polished housewife, is doing her Christmas shopping in Manhattan when she meets a young toyshop employee, Therese (Rooney Mara). The two instantaneously exchange gazes and smile at one another until they finally speak. The attraction is undeniable from the moment they meet and shortly thereafter they are together as often as possible. After getting to know each other, they go on a road trip that allows them to express their romantic feelings to each other in private. However in the midst of a conformist culture, Therese and Carol can’t seem to escape the challenging obstacles they wish to leave behind forever. Carol’s soon-to-be-ex husband, Harge (Kyle Chandler), uses their daughter to threaten her motherhood and Therese’s boyfriend (Jake Lacy) constantly questions her actions. As a viewer you will most likely care about these character’s problems more than you had originally intended which is what Director Todd Haynes had hoped for. Disappointment and distress are exactly the way Carol and Therese were forced to feel during the secrecy of their relationship.